The invention relates to a machine tool, in particular a drilling and milling machine, comprising a housing having a machine bed, together with side walls and doors, comprising a fixed, pivotable or rotatable work table, and comprising a slide, transportable in the y direction, for the reception of a spindle head, transportable in the x-z direction, for the reception of tools.
In EP 0 712 682, a machine tool, in particular a drilling and milling machine, is proposed, which is provided with a machine stand on which a motor-driven longitudinal slide, guided on guide rails, is horizontally movable. A machining head, which has a rotary drive apparatus for at least one tool, is movable on the longitudinal slide in at least one further motional direction by motor power. The machine stand has two spaced-apart side walls, on which the longitudinal slide is at least partially guided and the space between which is configured as a machining area. On each of the two side walls, there is provided an attachment point for at least one pivotable workpiece holder, the two attachment points being mutually aligned, in a horizontal line forming a pivot axis, transversely to the longitudinal direction of the guide rails. In such an arrangement, the workpiece holder is easily accessible and maintenance-friendly and is easily exchangeable. Machining residues, such as chips, lubricant and coolant, are unable to get to the bearings and drive means, or can do so only with difficulty.
A machine tool of this generic type, configured as a milling machine, is known from DE 4203 994. In this widely used type of milling machine, the slide moves in the longitudinal direction and the machining head is disposed on the slide such that it is vertically movable. A movement in the transverse direction is realized by the correspondingly driven workpiece table. Its drive mechanism in the lower region of the machine has to be protected, in a complex manner, from machining residues, such as chips and lubricant. In the case of a greater lateral deflection of the workpiece table, the danger exists of an albeit very minor deformation as a result of its own mass and the workpiece mass, as well as the forces applied by the tool, so that, in practice, the workpiece table has instead of a linear motional path, in order to compensate for the deformation, an orbit-like path with a radius of a few kilometres, to enable high-precision milling works to be carried out. The movement apparatus, in particular for the workpiece table in high-precision milling machines, thereby becomes very complex and expensive. For a 5-axis machining, the workpiece table or the machining head must additionally be pivotably configured, which further increases the design complexity.
There are also so-called gantry versions of milling machines, in which the longitudinal slide bearing the machining head is guided on two parallel rails disposed on the top side of two side walls of the machine stand. The longitudinal slide is in this case guided on the two guide rails by means of four guide elements. Also, for a 5-axis machining, either the machining head is pivotably configured in a constructionally complex manner, or the workpiece table mounted on a base wall of the machine stand must be pivotably configured, whereby, in the absence of complex and expensive sealing measures, there is the danger of machining residues, lubricant and coolant getting into the drive apparatus of the workpiece table.
The object of the invention is to provide a machine tool of the aforesaid generic type, in which the possibility of an integration of a pallet changer and/or tool changer is given. The housing should be quick and easy to assemble in order to ensure a rapid exchange of fitted elements. In addition, the machine should be capable of producing bulky and heavy components simultaneously.